Identity Crisis - Nissan 240SX

Dee's Club Stream Z Gt Jr.

There's no questioning Daijiro Inada's entrepreneurial skills. Over the years he's managed to create two of the best-selling aftermarket-tuning magazines not to mention take drifting from dark touge passes to high-profiled racetracks around the world. He unquestionably has an eye for business and his enthusiasm over the years for anything involved with tuning has allowed him to stay on top. As one of the founding fathers of the whole D1-GP success, Dai-chan also dabbles in drifting. Last year, we bumped into him numerous times at drift track days and even at the first round of the MSC Challenge in Mobara circuit. At the time he was honing his skills in a green S15 Silvia, but recently he replaced it with something a little more fitting to his character. Not content with the average S15 anyone could buy, he decided to create something a little bit more bespoke, something that would instantly get him noticed wherever he went. Dai combined forces with two of the best known names in the business and turned his idea into reality. The result is the car you see here, the Stream Z GT Jr.

We met up with Dai-chan in a remote little fishing port on the other side of the Aqua Line, the tunnel that cuts across the Tokyo Bay into the Chiba peninsula. Dai-chan says his bright orange Stream Z GT Jr. is certainly an interesting car to look at. Most people don't have a clue what it is; no matter which way you look at it it's very confusing. "Most can recognize bits of it but can't quite understand what it is as a whole," he says. This remark evokes a grin of satisfaction on Dai's face. He achieved just what he set out to do.

But it doesn't quite end here. Using his company's name, Dee's Club, the Stream Z GT Jr. is on sale to the public. For a base price at $2.8 million Yen, the same car you see here can be yours in any color you choose and if your pocket is deep enough, with any modification you may require. The idea was to create a complete car for the experienced drifter, a vehicle that would get you noticed - not just for your drifting skills.

The base, as some of you may have guessed by looking at the windows, is a RPS13 180SX. The boys at Top Secret took the car apart and fit the Top Secret 350Z kit at the front and the V35 Skyline kit at the rear. But it isn't quite that easy! There's a lot of work involved especially since Dai requested that his car be fitted with an easy to use quick release system for the bumper mounts, which allows for fast and effortless removal of the bumper. Every part of the body needed careful modifications to allow a perfect fit, whereas the front and rear fenders are totally custom and designed specifically for this car. Dai showed us the merging of the bulging rear fender with the hipline of the car. "This is something I specifically wanted, and you won't find this on any other car," he says. He goes on to show us the modifications made to the doors, which were filled in all along their edge to line up with the wider rear fenders. A Super GT style carbon air outlet was incorporated to the front fenders, while the side steps were adapted to fit the 180SX wheelbase. The rear Skyline parts needed a lot of modification to fit as the LED lights needed to fit in a much tighter body. The front 350Z lights required custom bracing to allow for a seamless fit. The result, however, is outstanding. It will certainly get you noticed. Once Top Secret completed the exterior it was off to Oka-chan at Yashio Factory for engine modifications.

Dai explained that his old S15 was the worst car he could've picked to learn the black art of drifting. It was far too difficult to drive and would snap back in a split second if you weren't fast enough with the steering. His new RSP13 in comparison is a far more suited machine for entry- to mid-level skills as its older chassis and suspension layout allows it to be far more progressive. But if want to drift properly you'll need a few bits and pieces to get the most out of your car. So Yashio Factory went to work and started by fitting a high-flow exhaust manifold, Yashio Factory exhaust, large HKS front-mount intercooler and piping and, for the cherry on the top, an HKS GT-RS turbine. Supporting modifications like a larger fuel pump, injectors, AFM and a metal headgasket guarantees a more than adequate power output in the high 300 PS region. Not content with this, Dai had Oka-chan fit a nitrous oxide fogger in the inlet plenum, which when switched on provides a boost of power that maxes out at a whopping 430 ps. Drivetrain upgrades are always a very important part when building a drift car and Dai didn't skimp on the good stuff for his Stream Z. So Nismo provided the 6-speed gearbox, Copper Mix clutch and the LSD GT Pro. Suspension modifications include a set of Ikeya Formula adjustable arms and a Yashio Factory drift oriented suspension kit. Brakes have been left standard considering the light weight of the car but are running Endless brake pads for increased brake performance. Rays Engineering provided the Gram Lights 57sx-pro wheels, which have been wrapped in Federal RS tires.

The Dee's Club Stream Z GT Jr. is a very impressive car and, as you can see from the drift pictures shot at Tsukuba, it's well suited for the track. Dai's drift skills have improved tremendously since we last saw him on the track, but he still prefers to remove the front bumper just in case something goes wrong. The pictures of the Stream Z GT Jr. with the bumper on were taken when Oka-chan was behind the wheel. Dai asked him to give us a few photo opportunities so he lit up those rear Federals with all the 430 ps the SR20 pushes out!

Contact ds-auto@deesclub.co.jp, if you're interested in getting one of Dee's Club Stream Z's.